900 miles with stops at Conestoga Ranch and The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch
Early this summer my family of four, including two kids ages 7 and 12, was faced with 6 weeks of travel to Central America cancelled. After a quick scramble and pivot we decided to hit the road and see the beauty of our own country. A trip combining dude ranches, RVing, four national parks, a river ranch, a beach house, a cabin and a lodge was no easy feat to put together, but after some quick research, our SUV was packed to the gills and off we went. I am going to do several blog pieces breaking the trip down over a series of a few weeks to make it more manageable to digest. This first blog will cover our first leg, Truckee, CA to Saratoga, WY, 900 miles and 15 hours of drive time, with two nights at Conestoga Ranch in Bear Lake, UT and 3 nights at The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, WY.
The plan was to depart home at 6:00 am to arrive at Conestoga Ranch by 4pm, planning to stop only for gas and the occasional bathroom break. This sounded good in theory but we didn’t pull out of the driveway until 7:30 am. The car was stocked full of snacks (some favorites included beef jerky, Z-bars, trail mix, popcorn and smoked almonds) and car games. As my husband was determined to keep screen time to a minimum, the games included car bingo, “going on a picnic,” travel size Connect Four, Trouble, UNO and a Rubik’s cube. The kids each had a travel pillow, blanket and some sort of stuffed animal to keep them comfortable on the drive.
My kids are used to long car drives as we spent every weekend traveling between San Francisco and Tahoe from the time they were born—some of those trips took 9 hours, with the average being 5 hours. Needless to say, my kids are “pros” at long car rides, but our first leg was going to be 10 hours—even I was a bit concerned it was going to be too much. Once you get past Reno on Interstate 80 the speed limit jumps to 80 MPH and it is wide-open country pretty much the whole way to Utah. We ended up stopping once for a drive thru brunch and once for gas which included a bathroom break. We made it to Conestoga Ranch by 5:30 pm, giving us time to get unpacked, let the kiddies run around, and allow the adults to have a well-deserved cocktail before dinner.
Conestoga Ranch is a “glamping resort” near Bear Lake in Garden City, UT. Accommodations include covered wagons outfitted with a king bed and bunk beds, along with night stands and a small sitting area with a table and chairs, accommodating up to six guests. These are mobile and can be configured into a circle for groups traveling together. Glamping tents include Grand Couple tents offering a king size bed, en-suite bathroom, campfire patio and dining table. The Grand Family Tent sleeps up to six guests and includes a king size bed in the primary bedroom and 4 twin beds in the guest room area, an ensuite bathroom, campfire patio and dining table. Traditional tents sleep 4 guests and offer a king size bed, two twins, a campfire patio and dining table. The traditional tents and covered wagons have access to private bath and shower rooms located a short walk from the accommodations.
Breakfast and dinner are offered at the Campfire Grill, a timber-framed, open air tent with views of Bear Lake and the surrounding mountains. The menu is gourmet and is comprised of fresh, local ingredients. Some breakfast favorites included pancakes with maple macerated berries and whipped honey butter, pulled pork biscuits with smoke-roasted pork and pepper gravy.
Dinner favorites included wood fired pizzas, American Wagyu beef meatloaf, cherry smoked salmon and a classic chicken pot pie. S’mores by the fire were a hit with the kids and adults alike.
Conestoga Ranch offers complimentary bicycles of all sizes, perfect for exploring town and the lake. Go-karts were my kids’ favorite as was trying to decide who had the best raspberry milkshake in town. So popular are these milkshakes, the New York Times even wrote an article about them. Nearly every business in town seems to have their version of this delicious milkshake, a blend of vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberry, but the best one we found, believe it not, was at the local Chevron gas station—they use hand scooped ice cream vs. soft serve which made these the standout above the rest. Located at 604 W. Logan Rd as you are coming into town, you can’t miss it.
Bear Lake—with its stunning, clear turquoise blue waters with the mountains in the background—is known as the “Caribbean of the Rockies”. We wanted to rent a boat for the afternoon but the weather didn’t cooperate and with thunderstorms in the area we had to make do with admiring the lake from the dock and feeding the large carp, happy to be fed fish food that we purchased from the local marina.
Our two nights at Conestoga was enjoyable, but we would have liked to have had one more day to have time to take advantage of boating and swimming in the lake. We will just have to plan to come back.
Our next stop was The Lodge at Brush Creek Ranch & Spa in Saratoga, WY about a five hour drive away; we set out by 10am planning to be at the lodge by 3pm. On route I received a text from the concierge inquiring about our approximate arrival time, assuring us they would be ready to welcome us. It was their first day open since closing for the pandemic, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The drive was fairly easy across the interstate and we made it without having to stop along the way. When we arrived at the entrance gate we were greeted by one of the staff members and escorted up to the main lodge area. The grounds are beautiful, set on 36,000 acres of rolling hills and grassy fields surrounded by majestic mountains—this is the wild west you read about.
A bellman greeted us and urged us to leave our bags. Since we were packed for 6 weeks, I strategically packed two bags for each family member, one for the ranches and lodges and one for the camping portion of the trip. The plan was good in theory but by the end of the trip everything seemed to be mixed together. I was able to sort through the bags to have the right ones brought to our rooms—we had a king room connecting to a room with two double beds in the main lodge. The king room had a large walk-in shower and the double room had a shower over tub configuration—perfect for a family. Having rooms in the lodge was super convenient; breakfast and lunch are served downstairs in the main dining room, as are some dinners during the week, the activity desk is right next door as is the saloon and full size gymnasium which is outfitted with a full sized basketball & volleyball court, table tennis, foosball and various other fun activities the whole family can enjoy. It was nice to let our kids roam while we adults were able to have a leisurely meal or cocktail at the saloon. With 33 individual accommodations, the lodging options also include elegant two- and three-bedroom log cabin residences and nine fully refurbished cabin suites in addition to the 13 spacious rooms in the main lodge.
Brush Creek is an all-inclusive resort where all meals, most beverages (some cocktails and premium wines were an additional fee) and activities are included. There are some up-charges for several activities including the cattle drive, ATVing, private horseback riding lessons, upgraded shooting and spa services, but most activities are included in the rate. My daughter is an avid equestrian so she spent most of her time on horseback. She and I did the cattle drive, which was a highlight. Since Brush Creek is a working ranch, we were able to actually drive a full herd of momma cows and their calves across several grassy fields to a new watering hole; being able to ride with a true purpose takes horseback riding up to a whole new level. All of the wranglers were engaging, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. They were more than happy to offer riding tips and listen to my daughter talk non-stop about horseback riding. Our three hour journey was an amazing experience all around.
The head wrangler was able to customize the rest of our stay for my daughter, which included barrel racing lessons, advanced trail rides with loping and a variety of hands on ranch experiences. The rest of the family enjoyed shooting shotguns, pistols and rifles under the watchful eye of skilled marksmen—my 8yr old especially loved skeet shooting, I found a passion for long range rifle shooting and my husband was thrilled to be shooting a .45 Beretta. Our guides were top notch and made us feel safe and secure under their attentive instruction. Other activities that we enjoyed included a Ranger tour of the 32,000 acre property, rock climbing, trail rides and archery. We wish we had stayed longer to have had more time to enjoy the other numerous activities available.
Brush Creek Ranch is a Relais & Chateaux property, which means food is serious business. Breakfast is served a la carte in the main lodge dining room and includes fresh baked pastries, eggs made to order, fluffy pancakes and french toast, my kiddies’ favorite. Room service is not an option so if you would like to have breakfast you will need to venture down to the lodge, but with its convenient location next to the activities desk, it’s easy to grab something before heading out for your first activity. The lodge also has a 24 hour snack and coffee bar available for guests to help themselves. Snacks include Kind Bars, trail mix, candy, chips and fresh fruit.
Lunch service begins at 11:30, just in time for your return from the morning outing and is served until 2pm. Most days lunch is served family style in the main lodge dining room, but themed meals and BBQs are also offered on the lodge patio throughout the week.
Dinner is a culinary delight, whether served in the main lodge, the elegant Cheyenne Club or the family favorite Chuckwagon held weekly along the riverbanks. During our stay dinner was served in a different location each night—the highlight was dinner at the Cheyenne Club. Part of their $13million Farm investment, the Cheyenne Club, sits on top of a 30,000 bottle wine cellar that will rival anything you find in Napa. Headed by Chef Angus McIntosh, formerly of renowned French Laundry, Cheyenne Club seeks to put the freshest ranch-sourced cuisine on full display. The 100% American Wagyu beef filet mignon was one of, if not the best, steak I have ever had. My daughter agreed and made sure the waiter told Chef Angus, and he quickly reciprocated with a private tour of the kitchen for our family.
The one thing we noticed throughout our stay was that every staff member genuinely seemed to enjoy working at Brush Creek. From the general manager who greeted us each morning and chatted with us about our plans for the day and our experience so far, to the activities desk staff who happily helped us curate the perfect adventures, to the mixologist masters at the Saloon creating the perfect margarita, to the bellman who patiently helped us re-pack our jam-packed car “tetris style”, we thoroughly enjoyed our encounters with everyone we met. Five star service abounds at Brush Creek.
Our three nights at Brush Creek Ranch was not nearly enough. Open year-round, the lodge recently acquired a private ski area, where they whisk you to the top of the mountain by snowcat. We are looking into booking a winter holiday getaway here as I am sure it is just as magical snow covered with fireplaces roaring as it is during the picturesque summer months.
Details:
427 N.Paradise Pkwy, Garden City, UT
Rates start at $180 per night during the summer months
The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch
66 Brush Creek Ranch Rd, Saratoga, WY
Rates start at $850 per person/per night during the summer months
Contact us at info@journeysunparalleled.com for all bookings and to receive added benefits and perks, including room upgrades (based on availability) and resort credits.